Delivery device



Dec. 30, 1941. c. H. BIGGS DELIVERY DEVICE Filed May 14, 1941 Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DELIVERY DEVICE Charles H. Biggs, Lewisburg, Tenn.

Application May 14, 1941, Serial No. 393,454

I (or. 258-3) 9 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel device for delivering train orders and despatches to fast moving trains, and more particularly to a device adapted to be held by a station employee so that a member of the crew of a fast moving train may pass his arm through a portion of the device and detach said portion from the remainder of the device for obtaining a despatch attached to the detachable portion of the delivery device.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide a despatch delivery device which is so constructed that it can be easily engaged by a member of the crew of a fast moving train without danger of striking any part of the device which is not detachable to avoid danger of injury to either the man holding the device or the man to receive the despatch therefrom.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a despatch delivery device wherein the portion of the device carrying the despatch which is to be detached and which is engaged by the arm of a member of the train crew is arranged to project away from the portion which is retained by the station employee to afford a large opening through which the arm of the crewman can be inserted to insure delivery of the device and to practically eliminate any danger of the despatch being missed.

Still another aim of the invention is to provide a despatch delivery device to which a despatch may be quickly and easily attached, and in which the detachable portion of the delivery device may be quickly and easily applied to the portion held by the station agent and which supports the detachable portion.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the delivery device,

Figure 2 is a side or edge view in elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View taken substantially along the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a portion of the delivery device, taken substantially along a plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, l designates the despatch delivery device in its entirety, and which includes a Y-shaped socket member, designated generally II, having corresponding diverging socket portions I2, and a socket portion I3, which is disposed between the socket portions I2 and which projects and opens in a direction away from said socket portions. A pair of rods or arms I4 have corresponding ends disposed in the sockets I2 and secured thereto by fastenings I 5. The arms I4 project outwardly from one another in diverging relationship to form the prongs of a fork, designated generally I6. An elongated handle I1 has one end secured in the socket I3 by fastenings I5, and projects therefrom in a direction away from the arms I4.

A sleeve I8 is mounted on the opposite end of each of the arms or rods I4, and is attached thereto by fastenings I5. The sleeves I8 have angularly disposed free ends forming sockets I9,

which sockets are substantially parallel to one another.

An elongated strip 20 is provided with ends 2| which are adapted to loosely engage in the sockets I9, as best seen in Figure 3. The strip 20 is formed of any suitable resilient material such as spring steel or wood, and is provided adjacent its ends 2| with eyelets 22, as best seen in Figure 3. The strip 20 between the eyelets Z2 and the ends 2 I, is provided with collars or shoulder members 23, which abut against the outer ends of the sockets I9, to limit the inward movement of the ends of the strip 20 relatively to the sockets I 9, as seen in Figure 3.

A conventional spring clip 24 is attached to one side of the inner end of the socket I3 and between the inner ends of the sockets I2, as best seen in Figure 1. The spring clip 24 is connected at one end to the socket I3 and has a rounded opposite end which yieldably engages against the socket I3. A flexible member, such as cord, 25 is secured at its ends, as seen in Figure 3, to the eyelets 22, and has its intermediate portion releasably held by the spring clip 24 taut so that the cord 25 will retain the ends 2| in engagement with the sockets I9 to detachably mount the strip 20 in an outwardly bowed relationship relatively to the fork I6, as illustrated in Figure 1.

A conventional spring clip 26 is attached to the outer side of the intermediate portion of the strip 20 and is adapted to detachably engage an article, as indicated at 21, in dotted lines in Figure 1, such as a train order or despatch, waybill or the like. A supporting member, designated generally 28, and best seen in Figure 4, includes two spring clips 29 and 30, which are attached in end to end relationship relatively to one another by means of a fastening 3| which extends through the intermediate portions of the clips 29 and 30. Clip 29 is adapted to detachably engage the socket l3, below the clip 24, and the clip 30 is adapted to detachably engage a conventional flashlight 32, as seen in dotted lines in Figure 1, for mounting the flashlight on the device l0.

With the parts assembled, as seen in Figure 1, the strip 20 and the cord 25 combine to form a relatively large opening, the larger portion of which is beyond the outer end of the fork l6, and the remainder of which is within the fork. The delivery device I is adapted to be held by station employees by the handle I! so that the fork [6 projects upwardly and outwardly from the man holding the delivery device I0 so that g a member of the crew of a fast moving train can readily pass his arm into the opening formed by the strip and the cord 25, and the pull exerted on the strip 20 by the arm of the trainman will cause the cord to become readily released from the clip 24 so that the detachable parts 20 and 25 may be readily removed from the fork I6 by the trainman. The article 2'! can then be removed from the clip 28 and the parts 20 and 25 dropped from the train to be retrieved by the station agent or employee. When the delivery device I0 is used at night, the flashlight 32 is employed to illuminate the strip 20 and thecord 25, so that a trainman will have no difficulty in inserting his arm into the opening formed by these parts, and the opening thus formed is sufficiently large so that there will be slight chance of a trainman missing the opening with his arm so that the despatch will be invariably picked up by the trainman regardless of the speed at which the train may be moving.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to as only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A delivery device comprising a fork, said fork having diverging prongs, sockets formed in the remote ends of said prongs, a bow having its ends loosely disposed in said sockets, a cord attached at its ends to said how, adjacent its ends, and a spring clip mounted on the fork for detachably engaging the intermediate portion of the cord for retaining the ends of the bow in engagement with said sockets.

2. A delivery device as in claim 1, comprising a spring clip attached to the intermediate portion of the bow and adapted to detachably engage an article to be supported by the delivery device.

3. A delivery device as in claim 1, said bow comprising an elongated strip of resilient material.

4. A delivery device as in claim 1, said fork including an elongated handle projecting from the apex of the prongs and in a direction away from the prongs.

5. A delivery device as in claim 1, comprising a resilient support composed of oppositely projecting pairs of spring jaws, one of said pairs of spring jaws being detachably connected to the fork, adjacent its apex, the other pair of spring jaws being adapted to engage and detachably mount a flashlight for supporting the flashlight in a position to illuminate the opening in the delivery device formed by the prongs and the bow.

6. A delivery device as in claim 1, said fork including a Y-shaped socket having corresponding diverging socket portions for engaging the adjacent ends of the prongs, and a handle having one end secured in and projecting from the other socket portion of said Y-shaped socket member.

'7. A delivery device comprising a fork having diverging arms, said arms being provided with substantially parallel sockets at. their free ends, an elongated resilient strip having its ends removably mounted in said sockets and supported thereby in outwardly bowed relationship relatively to the fork, and an article holding member connected to the intermediate portion of said strip.

8. A delivery device as in claim 7, comprising a flexible element connected at its ends to said strip, adjacent the ends thereof, and a spring clip carried by the fork for detachably engaging the intermediate portion of said flexible strip to hold the flexible member taut so that the flexible member will retain the ends of the resilient strip in engagement with said sockets.

9. A delivery device as in claim 7 comprising a flexible element connected at its ends to said strip, adjacent the ends thereof, a spring clip carried by the fork for detachably engaging the intermediate portion of said flexible strip to hold the flexible member taut so that the flexible member will retain the ends of the resilient strip in engagement with said sockets, the ends of said strip being loosely mounted in said sockets, and said strip being provided with shoulder members adjacent its ends for engaging the outer ends of said sockets.

CHARLES H. BIGGS. 

